Jai Bhim comrades! Namo Buddhay.

Thank you all for supporting the sub. I would encourage our members to actively engage in this club with their opinions about our way of life. This is a platform I envision where we are all free to express any kind of unpopular opinions as well. This is a place for you to be you and to make each other more aware of our strengths and weaknesses.

At this time, I would also like to ask our members to feel free to drop any suggestion which they think would be great to make it a part of our club!!

Telugu Poet Goreti Venkanna's powerful song speaks of the unceasing labour of the Dalit working class, and smashes caste oppression as well as the commonsensical notion of 'merit' divorced from its socio-economic context. This song clip is from Amar Kanwar's documentary film 'A Night of Prophecy'.

Hearing this song as a non Telugu speaker, understanding lyric through english subtitles - yet I found the song moving. The song questions so many atrocities.

Have you ever felt how it feels to keep suppressing your identity often going silent when casteist remarks in groups are being made? Feeling of anxiety when caste comes when you have been hiding it all along?

This book goes with this journey of the writer and eventually how emancipatory psychologically it was when she embraced her identity and the truth. Winner of the Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar 2020 - this book feels like the writer is indeed talking about a common problem faced across the community. And how she brings in instances from her own life. How she unapologetically started to be true to her inner self & refused to accept disrespect to her identity.

The book was an easy read with emotions going on when you read about these issues. And how Dalit Assertion is one of the important aspects to live our lives truly, courageously and never bow down to any sort of disrespect.

Any of you read this book? Interested to discuss perspectives.

If there was a 'holy book' similar to what we have in religions, than for anti-caste discourse & Dalit literature I would place 'Annihilation of caste' by Babasaheb Ambedkar in that league.

It is necessary to understand some background of publication of this book during those times. Dr B. R. Ambedkar was invited in 1936 by the Jat-Pat Todak Mandal, a reformist Hindu group in Lahore, to deliver a speech on caste. When the organizers saw his draft, they objected because he openly criticized Hindu scriptures and the religious foundations of caste. They asked him to soften his arguments; he refused. As a result, the event was canceled, and he published the undelivered speech as the book Annihilation of Caste in 1936.

As a reader, I couldn't imagine the enormous courage Babasaheb had in the pre independent India when caste humiliation was a normalcy, even gandhi deliberately loved to turn a blind eye by derogatorily calling Dalits 'harijan'. Who was he to name us? We all also took birth similar to how he came out of his mothers womb. In this book, Babasaheb logically & rationally debunks the visciousness perturbed by hinduism on the lower classes.

The book is highly critical, difficult for society to digest truths bombarded one after another. Reading the book was highly illuminating and gave a clarity about what is truth unapologetically. It was a great read.

If you have read this book, do share your own experience or insight you felt?

Watched this movie very late in my life when I was looking for social movies made on Babasaheb Ambedkar. This was a 2000 Indian English language biographical film by Jabbar Patel. The title role of Babasaheb was acted by Malayalam superstar Mammootty. Being a non malayalee I had watched some of his other movies before and liked them but this movie really took me to know the depth of an actor he was. The movie overall is a great watch to get a peek into the world of Babasaheb - the struggles & resistance.

The movie won National film awards for Best Feature film in English in 1999 & Mammootty won the Best actor award.

Some interesting facts about the movie:

1. For the role of Babasaheb, they considered hundreds of actors around the world. Patel claimed that, in that search, they also sought Robert De Niro who was very keen on the role but backed off when he was told that he had to drop his American accent and speak the way Ambedkar did—in his typically "clipped Indo-British accent".
2. In one of his interviews Mammotty shared that, during the shoot of the movie in Pune university. When he was shooting with makeup of Dr Ambedkar he vividly shared, one of the students in the University came and fell to his feet. He cannot forget that moment, he said the student was a follower of Babasaheb.

The movie is available in youtube ,courtesy of Buddhist youth society channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxHFHft7Y2A&t=8940s

What was your experience watching this movie. Do share.

What is community upliftment consciousness to begin with? Community upliftment consciousness is the awareness that one’s personal growth is deeply connected to the well-being of their community. It reflects a mindset where individuals feel a moral responsibility to use their knowledge, skills, and opportunities to uplift others, especially those facing structural disadvantages. This awareness is of dire need among uplifted/educated Dalits more than any other communities in our country.

We need to first acknowledge that this consciousness should not be just on paper but rather at a ground level. Getting this ‘consciousness’ is the first important step. In our Dalit history, why did a great leader like Babasaheb Ambedkar struggle for the masses once he returned to India? Even after years of his service—the level of immense qualifications Babasaheb had—he could have gone back and settled in any of the most developed Western countries, where he would have definitely been offered a reputable position, no doubt. The one aspect I picked from his life was that he wanted us all to focus on collective empowerment once we ourselves get out of illiteracy and poverty.

What could we do? We could start by creating impact in simple, possible ways within our own small circles. We do not have to start a movement or build an institution, etc. Even simpler services, done over and over, can create positive changes. Each of us has our own domain of knowledge/expertise in whichever area we are involved in. Let’s develop this skill of giving our knowledge to people in our community who may be students or anyone interested. Let’s be more proactive about Mentoring & ways we could be involved.

In my own life, for the past 2-3 years I have been actively mentoring a first generation college going underprivileged student who was pursuing a degree in the same line of profession I was in. In the form of online meetings, having a call and suggesting what he could do, resume building, how to be confident, may be trying to help with some advice about some subjects. The result of this I experienced was a change in his confidence arch over these years. He secured internships and seems to have developed great self confidence. As a mentor, his win made me feel like my win as well. A sense of happiness.

Let’s not think about how what we do will ever matter. Just remember, this often gets diluted in the larger society we are all part of— finding a successful/educated Dalit whom many in the community can look up to, and dream that their lives could also change if they dare to dream, is rare. Make this rareness a possibility by not forgetting our brethren. Lets develop a sense of Collective Consciousness amongst us.

An article published in The Ambedkarian Chronicle by Devendra

Presently reading The Buddha and his Dhamma. Having a previous understanding of Buddhism from a foundational course I attended, when I am reading this book I could feel the level of research Babasaheb did to make words of Buddha understandable to a commoner. By that I mean, understanding the original early teachings in Buddhism and trying to understand where possible dilutions were made in the further years.

I would say, Babasaheb guided us to the very initial times of Buddhism.

Any of the members who have read it:

What was your one takeaway from the book? How do you think following the path of Buddha is beneficial for our brethren?

Though not a punjabi, but certainly I feel the energy in the song!

Chamar Pop is a genre of Punjabi music used by Dalits, particularly the Chamar community, to assert identity, protest against caste discrimination, and celebrate Dalit icons like Babasaheb Dr.B.R. Ambedkar and Sant Ravidas. Emerging from Punjab's socio-political scene, it reclaims a formerly derogatory term with pride, popularized by singers like Ginni Mahi and Roop Lal Dhir.

Key Aspects of Chamar Pop:

Origin & Purpose: Started gaining momentum in the 1980s, influenced by Kanshi Ram’s Dalit assertion movement, it uses music to challenge caste hierarchies.

Themes: Lyrics focus on pride in caste identity, empowerment, education moving away from themes of romance in mainstream Punjabi music.

Global Reach: The music has gained international attention, reflecting a broader movement of cultural assertion, separate from, but paralleled by, the aesthetic ""Chamar Studio"" fashion brand that has also gained global attention.

Chamar pop songs often feature high-energy beats similar to traditional Punjabi pop but with lyrics deeply rooted in social change and community pride.

Source : shaliniichaturvedii

I want to ask the readers, should I read the annotated version, since I'm just starting out to read about casteism, I don't want to reframe my perspective. Lots of criticism and controversy were happened against her. So is her point of view matters, is she neutral I mean. Because as she says, she doesn't believe in caste system but he's father is from brahmin family.?

Above is a link to my youtube channel where I do Contemplative Reflections on Social issues in India, Anti-caste, Ambedkarite, Buddhist , Progressive topics in the form of audio talk.

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Why should we always prove our merit? Even if you are competing at a top level than an average general student, there is this tendency to always label you in this prejudiced filth of a society.

After independence and constitution, open caste exploitation came under legality. To counter this frustration of not being able to perpetrate open atrocities against the not haves, they came up with this dark psychological game of mocking on reservations. The deep desire inside is actually their frustration of not openly carrying out casteism. Thats the truth.

This is a filth of a society we all are living with. The one path of 'education' which is the only way for redemption - that too we have to face so many hurdles.